Uncle Sam
by chachakid
Summary: Sam and Jules are determined to start their new life but disturbing events in Sam's nieces' lives could make their start at a new relationship complicated. Sam/Jules/OC
1. Chapter 1

**I'm not sure what i think of this story. I don't expect it to be very long. Let me know what you guys think : )

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Sam never liked to admit it but he had a soft spot for his little sister. Mind you she wasn't so little any more. Maya was 28 and happily married with 3 kids. Sam was always quite protective of her, especially with boyfriends but her husband James was different.

He was smart and respectable. He seemed like the perfect one for her.

Although Sam loved being a police officer, he above all loved being an uncle. With a name like Uncle Sam, who wouldn't be?

Maya and James lived in a nice town in Toronto with their three beautiful girls. Casey was the oldest and at 5 considered herself to be the mother of the house. Unfortunately for Maya, Casey didn't like to cook or clean or change her younger sister's diaper for that matter.

Kiana was 2 and a half, and looked up to Casey. She wanted to be just like her.

The youngest, Ariel, was 4 months old.

Back at the SRU, Team One were chatting in the briefing room. Sam picked his phone up as it began to vibrate but seeing the words "unknown caller" he decided that it could wait until after his shift. However the number rang again and again.

"You gonna answer that Sam?" Ed finally asked obviously being annoyed by the noise.

"I don't trust unknown numbers" Sam said. Clearly not believing the call to be at all important.

As the phone rang once more Ed couldn't take it anymore and answered it. He quickly placed it on loudspeaker so the entire team could listen in.

The act didn't seem to bother Sam that much; he was used to Ed's little nuisances.

"Sam's phone, Ed speaking"

"Hello, I'm calling from St Lawrence Women's Hospital. Mr Braddock's sister Maya has been in a serious domestic dispute and is in a critical condition here" The woman blurted the words out quite hastily and sounded relatively nervous.

Ed regretted putting the phone on loudspeaker and promptly gave the phone to Sam. The Team had never seen Sam's face like that. Every inch of his body consumed by utter guilt and anger.

He took the phone off loudspeaker and walked over to the quiet hallway to finish the conversation.

The rest of the team sat in silence as they waited in anticipation to see what Sam would say.

He hurried back to the briefing room a few minutes later before walking straight up to Greg.

"My sister was just beaten by her alcoholic husband…"

He paused to catch his breath clearly taken back by the conversation.

"James…my sister's husband…he fled the scene but they can't find the kids either. It doesn't look like he took them though."

"Ok Sam lets go out to the house and see what we can do to help. Spike, let Kira know what we're doing. The rest of you gear up"

It wasn't really a hostage situation or a bomb threat but a team member's family is just as important.

******

The three SUV'S pulled up to the house.

The team walked into the house clearly noticing the struggle that was evident. Smashed table and chairs, pieces of glass from photo frames and mirrors all on the ground.

"He was a nice guy. She never once said _anything"_ Sam finally spoke after what seemed like hours of silence.

The rest of the team could tell he was scared. That was quite different from the usual cocky and confidant Sam they were used to.

"We'll find them Sam, and I'm sure they'll be fine. Lets stay focused everybody" Greg was amazing at staying calm at times like this.

Sam opened the door to Casey's room. He looked under the bed, in the wardrobe and behind the curtains. He was used to playing hide-and-go-seek with her but she was never a good hider. Her feet stook out when she hid behind things and she would always giggle when Sam came close to her. However, there was no giggling and no tiny feet sticking out from under the bed.

Sam sat on the end of her bed and placed his palms to his face.

_Think Sam THINK. If you were a scared little 5 year old girl, where would you go? Better yet, where would Casey go? They weren't taken were they?_

He looked up at the doorway to see Jules quietly observing. She was his first girlfriend to ever meet his sister and her family. Casey adored Jules and looked up to her like she was a real auntie. It was like ripping out a piece of Casey's heart when Sam had to explain to her about why he and Jules were no longer a couple.

"But couldn't you keep it a secret from the rest of them Uncle Sam?" She would say. If only it were that easy.

After finishing searching the house, Team One stepped out into the back yard.

Spike came over the head set.

"Boss, neighbours heard the dispute at around 12:30 this afternoon and after hearing glass smashing they called the police. At 12:40 James Thornton was seen entering his car and fleeing the scene however the kids were not with him. Police arrived on scene at 12:45 and found Maya Thornton in the lounge room but after searching the house they could not find any of the children"

"Have they found James yet?" Sam asked

Spike hesitated but was forced to give the answer. "Negative, he couldn't have gone far though. Police are checking out his friends and relatives in the area"

Sam thought once again of where the kids could be before it came to him.

He remembered Casey telling him of a small space underneath the house that could only be accessed by a small door in the back yard.

"Her secret hideout" she liked to call it.

The team watched as Sam walked along the side of the house pushing away bushes before he came to the small trap door.

He went to open it before he realised.

"It's locked from the inside"

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**I guess i just really wanted to show the "family man"side of Sam. I'll try and get the next chapter up ASAP**


	2. Chapter 2

**2 ff chapters in one day. I'm on a roll! Enjoy

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He shook the door once more just to check. It was indeed locked from the inside.

The rest of team one raced over to Sam as a look of hope and fear spread across their faces.

"Casey? Casey are you in there?" Sam tried to hide his excitement but this was the only place they could be. He needed them to be in there.

"Casey its uncle Sam, are you in there?" The silence seemed to echo over the back yard.

"Go away!" Whilst they weren't the words that Sam wanted to hear, he was thrilled to hear that they were in fact coming from Casey's mouth.

"Casey I'm not going to hurt you, I'm here to help" Sam didn't know if this was the fatherly side of him speaking or the skilful negotiator he was quickly becoming.

"I know you must be pretty scared, are Kiana and Ariel in there with you?" He had to level with the subject, let them know that he understands and make sure that everybody involved is ok. He would usually be running through the SRU manual in his head but he wasn't this time. He was acting almost automatically.

"They're here and they're fine Uncle Sam, now you can go" It always amazed Sam how strong and determined this 5 year old girl could be.

"Casey, I just want to make sure that all three of you are ok. Please, can you open the door so I can see you?" Start the requests small and make them simple to understand. Again, this was coming naturally to him.

"We're fine, I have food and water and bottles and diapers for Ariel, we can live down here for as long as we like."

"But what about mummy? She'll never get to see you again" This wasn't going to be as easy as Sam had first thought.

"She won't care. She told me that daddy wouldn't hit me again but he did" The words were like a knife through Sam's heart. Hit her _again._ This had happened before?

"Casey, listen to me, I will never let daddy hit you ever again. We're going to find him and put him away so you never have to worry about him again."

"And mummy…well Casey, mummy loves you and your sisters so much. I don't know what she would do without you girls"

Casey remained silent.

"And I would be pretty upset too. Who would I play hide-and-go-seek-with? Who would watch Dora the Explorer with me?"

Greg began to smile. Here he was watching Sam, the rookie, acting as a negotiator with what seemed like the skill and experience of a veteran.

"And what about Jules Casey? Who would help her make those delicious cookies?"

Greg and Ed glanced at each other. They had known about Jules and Sam's relationship but they each believed it hadn't gotten very serious. In Ed's own words "They didn't seem like a couple".

A small giggle could be heard from underneath the house.

"Is Jules out there?" Casey finally piped up.

"She sure is and I know she'd love to see you" Sam turned around to look at Jules who shot him that beautiful smile that always made him melt.

Jules stepped forward and spoke.

"Casey, why don't you come on out here so we can make sure your ok and then maybe later we can do some baking?"

The words had barely escaped Jules' mouth before the small door began to open. Sam looked down into the small space and was met with Casey's beautiful blue eyes.

However, it was hard to miss the large purple bruise covering the side of her face. James had hit her and in Sam's mind, there wasn't anything worse then a parent purposely inflicting pain upon their child. He wanted James dead.

Casey picked up 4 month old Ariel and handed her up to Jules. She then helped Kiana make her way up the ladder to the back yard. Finally, Jules reached her hand out to Casey as she made her way out of the space.

Casey didn't seem to take any notice of her surroundings and ran straight to Sam as she broke down in tears on his shoulder. She wrapped her arms tightly around him as he lifted her up onto his hip.

Jules looked on in amazement. He was like a natural father and for a minute she seemed to wonder what it would be like to have kids with him. She quickly threw the thought out of her head before looking over at Wordy who was holding Ariel in his arms sound asleep.

"I was so scared…" Were the only words that Casey could say as Sam continued hugging her.

"Casey I'm so proud of you. What you did today, that was amazing. You are so brave and you took care of your little sisters. You got them food and water and to a safe place, that was very good of you" Compliment the subject. Reinforce their behaviour.

"Boss I've got some news on James Thornton" Spike came over on the headset.

The cheery smiles and happy laughs silenced and everybody listened in to hear what Spike had to say.

"He was caught in a traffic jam on the highway and is now in police custody"

Casey couldn't hear what was being said but judging but the smile that took over Sam's face, she knew it had to be good news.

********

The three girls were taken back to SRU head quarters before Sam would take them to the hospital to see their mother.

Casey sat at the briefing table with Jules as the rest of Team One sat around the table. Sam left them for a moment to call the hospital to be filled in on his sister's condition.

"Jules?" Casey was always full of questions but Jules didn't mind.

"Yes Casey?"

The rest of Team One were still off quietly having their own conversations.

Casey cleared her throat before speaking "When are you and Sam getting married?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry, i know it's short but i'm going away for about a week so i thought i should at least update SOMETHING before i go : )

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The room fell silent as all eyes turned to Jules.

She smiled and tried to make the mood as light as possible.

"Who said we were getting married?"

Jules tried not to look at the rest of the team but it was hard to miss all of them biting their lips trying hard not to laugh.

"Well you love Uncle Sam don't you?"

Jules pretended that she didn't know the answer but inside she didn't even have to think twice about that question. Yes.

"And if I don't?" She attempted to turn this into a little game, not give too much away to the rest of the Team.

Casey thought for a second before an evil grin took over her face.

"You wouldn't be wearing that ring he gave you around your neck" Jules looked down and clung onto the necklace that was partially hiding underneath her t-shirt.

She was 5. She wasn't supposed to know so much let alone tell the entire team.

Team One didn't know whether to be shocked or to laugh. This 5 year old girl had outsmarted Jules.

Jules remained silent.

"It's a wedding ring isn't it?" Casey kept pushing.

Jules ran over the millions of thoughts in her head and tried to come up with the best possible lie. However at this very second in time, Jules had never been happier to see Sam walk in the room.

"Ready to go Casey?" Sam practically skipped into the room completely unaware of the circumstances that had just taken place.

Casey took her eyes of Jules for the first time and looked over to Sam. She nodded her head before turning back around.

She placed her mouth up to Jules ear and whispered "I'll keep your secret"

Casey jumped down off her chair and waved to the rest of the team.

"Bye everybody" She waved again before turning around and clutching onto Sam's hand.

The mood at the table was awkward to say the least.

Jules looked around to see that every set of eyes was on her. She turned her face to Greg's and smiled.

"Well, I'm off now. See you all tomorrow then" Jules said as she picked up her bag and walked over to her car.

_Jules dream_

"_I don't want you to think of it as an engagement ring…it's just a ring" Sam said while sitting on a picnic blanket in the most beautiful park she could ever imagine._

_She held the box for a moment before placing the gorgeous diamond ring on her wedding finger._

"_It's beautiful Sam"_

She woke back up. Usually Jules would laugh at such a dream but in this case it wasn't a dream…it was a memory.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all who have reviewed. Hope you enjoy

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It was 6am. Jules wiped the sweat off her face and rolled over towards Sam's side of the bed. Well, what used to be his side of the bed. She was used to waking up being held tightly by his arms and listening to his breathing but as she looked at the scar in her shoulder she was reminded of the invisible scars their choice had left behind.

It hurt being so in love with one person and not being able to tell anybody. She felt like she was carrying a huge weight on her shoulders having to keep the man of her dreams a secret but every time she woke up and looked down at his arms around her waste and heard the soft sounds of his breath, she forgot all about the team and just lived in the moment.

She let her legs hang over the side of the bed where she looked at the necklace laying on the bed side table. She wanted so badly to be able to take the ring off the necklace and place it on her wedding finger but the past was in the past and was supposed to stay there.

They had made a choice, whether it was the right one or not only time will tell but they both chose their jobs over their future together.

The ring was given to Jules on their 10 month anniversary. Each were madly in love and the fact that their relationship had stayed a secret for so long was an achievement in itself. What Jules didn't know was that Sam had bought the ring over 6 months ago; he knew she was the one. Considering the small fact that the two weren't even supposed to be dating, Sam knew he could not propose to Jules so as he said, it was just a ring. Yet the feeling inside of Sam when he watched Jules place it on her wedding finger is unexplainable, the sense of accomplishment as he knew that he had succeeded. The words were never said but he knew it was a yes.

The two decided that the ring was more of a symbol as their commitment to each other, a wedding could be seen in the future but for now they would secretly remain boyfriend and girlfriend. She wore that ring every single day and nobody noticed, except for Sam of course who couldn't help but smile every time the small diamond glistened in the sun and the sparkle hit his eyes. What Sam didn't know was that after that night in the coffee shop, Jules still wore the ring everyday.

She contemplated wearing the ring to work, seeming as the entire Team seemed to know about it. After about 20 times of picking the necklace up and putting it back down Jules decided that she wasn't going to let a 5 year old girl stop her from wearing the necklace and holding onto the one piece of Sam she still had.

******

Ed and Jules stood in the storage room doing the routine check of all their equipment.

"Flash bangs?" Ed asked in his clearly bored tone. The routine got a little boring after doing for the last 8 years.

"Check"

"Bipods"

"Check"

"Sam's engagement ring?"

She allowed herself to let out a small giggle but it was more forced than anything.

"Inventory complete" She added, still looking down the box in her hands. She placed it back on the bench as she quickly tried to turn around and leave.

Ed grabbed onto Jules shoulder before forcing her to look into his eyes.

"Jules…" Here it comes. Some brother to sister talk that she had tried to avoid over the years of working with Ed.

"No…We are not discussing this"

"Jules, I'm sorry, we didn't realise it got so serious"

"And if you had realised? What? You would've let us stay together? Huh?" She was angry. Ed was her team leader and she knew the boundaries but he had over stepped his limit.

She walked away this time not being stopped by Ed. She barely even noticed that she walked straight past Sam in her state of frustration.

She slammed the locker room door behind her but as she waited to hear the loud noise it would make, it never came. Sam had stopped it and made his way into her locker room.

She ripped the necklace from her neck and swirled it around in her hands.

Sam walked in obviously mesmerized by ring.

"It's amazing how something so small could cause so much trouble. I mean it's just a ring right?" She said the sentence while laughing but seemed to be crying at the same time. Was she angry? Upset? She didn't know and frankly neither did Sam.

"Jules…?"

"You know your niece is much smarter than you give her credit for"

"Oh?" He felt stupid only being able to let out 1 syllable words.

"She told the entire team that I wore the engagement ring you gave me around my neck and asked when we were getting married"

He let out a small laugh "Yep that sounds like Casey"

"Sam?"

"Yes?"

"Marry me?"

Sam stood for a second. Almost as if the words had not been said, as if the last few seconds had not occurred. His face remained the same until he looked down into Jules eyes.

"We couldn't be on the same team…"

"But now I could get pregnant and that way I wouldn't be able to work…"

"Jules… No"

Now she was confused. It was the offer of a life time; she was giving up her job to be with him; to start a family with him.

"No?" She asked just to be sure she heard him right.

"No" Sam had made up his mind.

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**Did i just hear an echo of scorpios? lol**


	5. Chapter 5

"It was a stupid thing to ask anyway. Just forget I ever said it" To say Jules was embarrassed right now was an understatement.

"I believe I've already asked you to marry me…"

Jules lifted her head in a mixture of hope and confusion

"Jules I want _you_ to marry _me_" He said while trying to hide his child like smile.

"You little prick" She laughed and cried while placing her lips to his.

"Don't you EVER do that to me again"

"What? I enjoyed it, I had complete control!" Sam joked but wasn't surprised to receive a punch to the stomach and was brought down to Jules' eye level.

"Don't get used to it baby" She smiled as she kissed him.

Sam reached down to the ring and slipped it off the necklace before proceeding down onto one knee.

"Julianna Rose Callaghan, will you marry me?"

"Hmmm, I'm gonna have to think about this one. Your chances look slim" They each laughed as Jules wiped away her tears before she was able to softly let out "Yes…Yes I will"

Sam slipped the ring on her finger before standing up.

"So umm what do we do now?" Sam didn't want to ruin the mood but the question had to be asked.

"Well, you want to start a family right?" She had never really asked him. He was just so wonderful with kids and the perfect man that she just assumed he would want kids.

"Jules are you kidding me? Of course I do" He couldn't get the words out quick enough.

"Well if I get pregnant, than I obviously can't work and knowing us, it shouldn't take long"

They each let out another laugh before Sam finally understood what she meant.

"So you ask Sarge if we can get married knowing that we will soon want to have a baby and knowing that you couldn't work?"

"WE ask Sarge. This is a joint decision right?"

"Yes…of course. But we each stay on the team?"

"If we can, but let's not try and push our luck"

"You're a genius" He said before being silenced by her lips to his.

The conversation with Sarge sounded much easier in their heads but nerves and bad timing seemed to get the better of them.

They were both ready to tell Greg as he sat alone in the briefing room but before they could get close they each seemed to "chicken out" as they decided to join the rest of the team in the gym instead.

Half an hour later they decided that this time it was for real, they would walk up to him and tell him how it is except that at that very second the alarm sounded and Team One was ordered to gear up.

On their 3rd try they were beaten to Greg by Ed and Wordy who were dragging him to drinks with the rest of the Team.

"I give up!" He said in frustration as Jules couldn't restrain herself from laughing. That was all they could do in times like this.

"I guess it can wait until tomorrow, right?"

"I guess"

Not wishing to be the odd ones out and draw even more attention to their situation, Sam and Jules followed along with the rest of the team to the bar.

A couple of shots of vodka and some beers later it was safe to say that Jules was wasted. She stayed quiet for a while before her endless speeches about nonsense made it quite evident that she was drunk.

_I could offer to take her home now before she makes a fool of herself._

_But that would just make it obvious that there is something going on between us._

But before Sam could make up his mind, Jules had placed her hand flat out on the table making the diamond ring sparkle in the light. Luckily for them, most of the men on the table were completely oblivious to this move except for Ed who, like Jules, had had a bit too much to drink.

"Nice ring Jules, I thought you kept it around your neck?" Ed would never have the guts to say such a thing, especially in front of the team and especially after his run-in with Jules in the storage room.

Sam's heart rate sped up. He just wanted to curl up into a ball and pretend this wasn't happening. Jules couldn't stay quiet, that would just look suspicious but then anything she said would be suspicious as well.

"Well this time he actually got down on one knee and proposed for real. Why should I keep it hidden?"

Too late. The table went eerily quiet and all eyes turned to Sam.

"Umm surprise?" A joke. That's all he could come up with. Even then it wasn't funny.

"Look this wasn't quite how we wanted to tell you but we were going to" He added while looking over at Jules who lifted her head up in disappointment.

"Whoops" She was drunk but she knew she had made a mistake.

"So?" The table was still quiet as all looked to Greg for an answer.

Greg paused. He was the master of deception and was hiding his feelings quite well. Was he furious with them that they had broken protocol…twice? Was he disappointed in them for only having the guts to tell him while Jules was drunk? Was he even the slightest bit happy for them?

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**Stay tuned!**


	6. Chapter 6

Greg still hadn't said anything. Sam's heart felt like it could just about jump out of his skin.

"Well…" Sarge began to speak,

"I'm not the slightest bit surprised, according to Casey, you two seem to be perfect for each other"

The whole table let out a small laugh before Sam realised, they were all smiling. It was like all his Christmases rolled into one.

Greg raised his beer in the air.

"To the happy couple…" The rest of the team then placed their glasses in the air as well.

"May all your sneaking around the team and breaking the rules be worth it"

They all let out another laugh, Sam's more nervous then the others, before everybody took a sip of their drink.

He looked over into Jules' eyes and it was amazing how both could not open their lips yet a thousand words could be said. All the thoughts and emotions just bounced back off each other and fell down into three simple words. I love you.

"So that's it?" Sam clearly surprised by the answer.

"One of us isn't getting kicked off the team?" Jules obviously shocked as well.

"We'll discuss that later but for now let's just enjoy the moment"

The night was filled with drinks, laughs and more drinks and for a moment, Jules forgot why they were celebrating before she looked down at the beautiful diamond ring on her ringer and across at the beautiful man sitting at the table and it hit her like a ton of bricks _I'm getting married._

It sounds silly really but the whole day had been such a blur that it took a while to sink in.

As the bar started to close up they all realised that it was probably time to leave. As Lou, Wordy, Spike, Ed and Greg headed for the door, Jules walked over to Sam and took her hand in his. This was the first time they had ever done such a thing in front of the team. And they loved it.

As Wordy and his "Mini-van express" pulled up to Sam's house, they were too busy poking jokes at the two love birds to even see Casey rugged up in a pink coat asleep on his front veranda.

Jules turned around to walk to the front door with Sam still receiving "Don't hurt our sister" threats before she saw Casey.

"Casey?" She practically ran towards the 5 year old who slowly awoke from her sleep.

The rest of Team One were soon huddling around Casey who had now crawled into Jules arms and was trying to fall asleep on her shoulder.

"I'm cold, can I stay here tonight?" She spoke as if this was nothing out of the ordinary. Casey lived a good half an hour walk away and it was close 3am. Not to mention it was practically snowing outside.

Jules looked up at Sam who nodded and led the Team into his house; they seemed to be in no rush to leave.

As Sam quickly dialled his sister's number the rest of the Team sat down with Casey.

"Why are you here Casey?" Jules motherly instinct had kicked in.

"I was hungry and mum wouldn't wake up to make me dinner"

_She wouldn't wake up?_

"Was she sleeping?" Jules questioned Casey while wrapping her in a blanket.

"I think so. She just kept drinking her water and then she started acting funny and then she just fell asleep. I tried waking her but she wouldn't wake up"

The team each exchanged worried looks. It was clear that what Casey perceived as water was in fact alcohol.

Sam walked back over.

"She's not answering her phone" He too could see the looks on his team mates' faces.

"I'll stay here with Casey, get her some food and maybe a hot bath. You can go over to your sister's place and sort it out" Jules gave Sam a reassuring smile that settled him inside.

"Thanks guys but I think I can handle it from here"

"Just call if you need anything" Wordy added before heading out the door.

Sam knelt down to Casey who was now huddled warmly in Jules' arms.

"Hey Cass, were Ariel and Kiana ok?"

"I think so. I gave Ariel some baby food before she fell asleep and I found a banana for Kiana to eat and then she fell asleep"

Sam's face lit up and he smiled.

"I'm so proud of you Cass" He stroked her fringe out of her eyes before kissing her forehead.

"Do you have any chocolate?" Casey no longer sounded tired, in fact she sounded excited. This was like a slumber party for her.

Sam and Jules laughed.

"Let's see what we can find" Jules told Casey as she stood up.

Sam stood up too and took Jules hands.

"Welcome to the family" He said as he placed a kiss on her lips.

Casey seemed to be too busy looking for chocolate to even notice that was she had wished for was coming true.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam pulled up to his sister's house. The lights were on and the car was in the driveway. That had to be a good thing.

He opened the door to find his beaten and bruised sister passed out on the couch surrounded by empty bottles of wine, beer and vodka.

He walked over but could see her breathing and she didn't seem to be in any pain so he crept upstairs to find Ariel wide awake in her crib.

His heart melted every time he saw his baby niece. Beneath Sam's tough exterior was secretly a soft teddy bear and whilst he would never admit it, Jules knew. He picked her up gently, almost as if she was a delicate flower and could break at any moment. He held her close allowing her hands to wrap around his pinkie. For a brief second, every single problem in Sam's life seemed to slip away and he was able for what seemed like the first time in months, relax. The moment was short lived however after Sam was struck in the back of the head with what felt like a machete but was in fact a lamp. He clung onto Ariel in a desperate attempt to protect her. He turned around to see the lamp coming after him for a second time before he was able to grab onto it and push the intruder up against the wall.

They each paused.

"Maya?"

"Sam?"

Sam rubbed at his head which was clearly bleeding and then proceeded to put Ariel back in her crib.

"What the hell was that for?" Sam tried as quietly as he could to yell at his sister.

Maya flicked on the light.

"What the hell are you doing sneaking around my house at 3am in the morning?"

"You passed out from drinking, didn't cook your children any dinner and now Casey has walked to my house by herself asking for food"

"Well in case you haven't noticed my life isn't going so well right now. How dare you come in here and criticize my parenting skills" Maya walked out of the room and headed for the kitchen.

Sam followed closely behind still looking at the bruises and scars covering her body. He would be lying if he didn't say that he blamed himself for what her husband did to her. He should've seen it.

"Maya look I'm sorry I just worry about you and the kids. They're my family too you know"

"You weren't there Sam! You weren't there all those nights where he would punch me like a rag doll, you weren't there the nights I had to…" She couldn't get the words out. Nor did she want to.

She turned around to hide the tears sliding down her face. She was used to crying in front of Sam seeming as she couldn't cry in front of her parents. They were the strict type and crying only made things worse.

She leaned down at the sink before looking out at the street lights.

"I will never forgive myself…" She was angry, that part was clear; Sam could practically see the rage jumping out of her skin.

"Maya you can't blame yourself…"

"No! Hitting me that was one thing and your right that was never my fault but when he started hitting Casey…that I should've prevented. All those times I just let him hit me in the hopes that he wouldn't touch the kids. And I failed"

She reminded him so much of Jules. Strong-willed, determined and once her mind was made up there was no convincing her otherwise.

He too tilted his head down. She really shouldn't blame herself for him hitting Casey but he wasn't going to argue with her. He knew it would be like arguing with a wall.

"Maya, I need to know if you can handle looking after the kids right now. I mean you did leave the hospital quite early, you're drinking and tired. Please just let me help you"

"I need them Sam; they're the only thing keeping me sane right now. I can't be here on my own"

"Well, Casey seems pretty settled at my house. How about she stays with me for tonight and we'll work the rest out later. You look exhausted, you should get some rest"

He hugged his sister before turning to head out the door.

"Sam?" Maya spoke so quietly almost as if she was whispering

He swung back around to look at her still in the same spot.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be, bad things happen and sometimes just a little bit of good comes out of it…which reminds me. I proposed to Jules today"

"What?! You're telling me this now!" She sounded annoyed but honestly it was the best news she had heard in a while. It would help take her minds off things knowing that she would soon have a sister in law. James had practically isolated Maya, forcing her to push away all her friends; it was satisfying to know that she would now have somebody else to turn to in times of need.

She hugged her brother tightly and for a brief second, he could've sworn her saw a smile.

"Look after Casey and please keep her away from that junk you call food"

"I promise to look after her but keep her away from that food you call junk, now that's gonna be hard"

He kissed her forehead before she could return any more smart ass remarks and headed out the door.

*****

Sam quietly opened his front door to see Casey fast asleep on the couch in Jules lap. She was softly playing with Casey's hair and just staring down at the beautiful figure in her lap. The house had heated up and Jules felt it best to take off Casey's coat. The bruises and scars covered her arms and sent shivers down Jules' spine.

She softly ran her fingers down her arm taking in every bump and bruise there was.

Sam gently shut the door to make his presence known but Jules kept her head down at Casey.

He walked over to stand in front of her. She lifted her head slightly making it obvious that she was and had been for a while, crying.

_Jules? Crying? That just doesn't happen…ever. In all the time I've known her, all the stories we've shared, all the times spent in her locker room after a tough call, she never once cried._

"Jules…what's wrong?"

She wiped away her tears before placing a smile on her face.

"Nothing Sam…nothing. How'd it go with your sister?"

"Fine. Really Jules, why are you crying?"

"Honestly Sam, don't worry about it. So the others, are they all ok?"

"Damn it Jules stop changing the subject. In case you forgot we are getting married now. Tell me what's wrong."

She looked back down at the beaten child in her hands before looking back up at her fiancés concerned stare.

"Just, hit's close to home is all"

* * *

**I hope you don't mind, i know the storyline is quite similar to others but Casey needs someone to help her through this!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I didn't think i would be able to update till Wednesday but here ya go! I skipped doing my legal studies assignment to do this so if i fail legal studies, i blame fan fiction!

* * *

**

Sam froze for a moment.

_Not Jules? Surely, not Jules!_

"Wait…you…this…" He couldn't get out a full sentence. Besides, this was Jules he was talking about. She was the strongest woman he knew, heck, she was the strongest _person_ he knew. Not just physically but emotionally too.

Jules wiped away a few more tears.

"Would you be able to carry her up to the guest room?" There she went again, changing the subject.

Sam nodded as he lifted Casey up and gently placed her on the bed.

He turned to face Jules who was now leaning up against the door frame.

"Why is the back of your head bleeding Sam?" She spoke calmly, there was no need to get angry at him after the day they had.

"It's a long story; I'd rather know why this is hitting close to home for you"

She shut her eyes and shook her head gently.

"Let's just say, I don't think any of my brothers or my dad will be getting an invitation to our wedding" She was able to force a smile upon her face when deep down inside she knew she just wanted to crawl up into a ball and cry.

Sam walked over to the door frame as he leaned against it too, only inches away from her face.

"Your dad hit you?" Sam decided to ignore the SRU manual and get straight to the point. This was the woman he loved, he didn't have time to get inside her brain and manipulate her, he just wanted a straight answer.

Surprisingly Jules let out a small giggle. How she could laugh at a time like this escaped Sam but it calmed him to see she was somewhat happy.

"No…My brother did" She let out a small sigh as she came to the realization that she was now going to have to share with Sam her life story.

They both turned around to look at Casey as she rolled over under the blankets.

Jules kept her eyes on Casey the entire time as she continued her story.

"It started off as fun you know, we would play wrestling and I would end up with some bruises but nothing major. Then as he got to about 12 or 13, the game turned serious and he would hold me down as he beat the crap out of me"

She looked back up at Sam who had a deep look of concern spread across his face. As much as he hated hearing the story and as much as it tore him up inside, he had to know.

"This was after my mum died so my dad just thought he was releasing his emotions. So he pretty much ignored it. I always had to cover my body up when I went to school, my dad had to pull me out of gymnastics because I was so weak. It wasn't until my brother went off to college that my dad finally admitted that it was a mistake." She felt herself get angrier by the second.

"And you grew up to be the toughest sniper in all of Canada…without any help from your family. Jules, you are an _amazing_ woman and I _know_ that you're gonna help Casey get through this."

He wiped her fringe out of her eyes.

"I hate it when you make me cry" They each let out small laugh before closing the door and heading off to bed.

It wasn't long before the sun shone through the bedroom windows and blinded Jules. She rolled over to see Sam's side of the bed empty.

He was a light sleeper and never slept well after stressful days and it was safe to say that their day had been quite stressful.

She made her way downstairs towards the kitchen where she could hear a mixture of pans and cutlery.

"Keep stirring until it get's really gooey" Sam whispered, obviously trying not to wake Jules up who was now quietly observing from the doorway.

She watched as Sam helped Casey stir and even let her have some taste tests. In the end, Sam thought it would be amusing to wipe some of the pancake batter onto Casey's face which inevitably led to half the batter being poured onto Sam's head.

Jules couldn't contain her laughter any longer which turned out to be a bad idea. Sam wouldn't allow for her to stay clean while pancake mixture dripped off his hair. Casey chased Jules around the kitchen before being caught by Sam and she stood helplessly as Casey tipped the rest of the mixture over her head.

Usually being smothered in sticky mixtures didn't put Jules in a good mood but it was safe to say, this was the happiest Jules had felt in years. Sam and Casey were legitimately happy. Days earlier Casey had been physically and emotionally hurt by her own father and yet here she was showing maturity well beyond her years and actually enjoying her life. Sam tried to hide the guilt he felt towards his sister's situation but as he watched Casey's smile grow, the guilt slowly lifted.

Jules looked around the kitchen; there was flour and eggs everywhere. Clearly no recipe had been followed but she didn't care. She was covered in goo…but she didn't care. She just wanted this moment to last forever. So, naturally she grabbed the camera and sat it on the counter. She turned the timer on and hugged Sam and Casey close. She would treasure that photo for the rest of her life.

Before any of them had a chance to clean up, the doorbell rang. Sam wiped off as much of the pancake batter as he could as he opened the door. There was Maya holding Ariel tightly in her arms.

He barely even had the chance to let out a hello before she let out in a small hurried sentence,

"Is Kiana with you?"

_No, please God no, not again.

* * *

_

**Dun dun duuuun. Yes...yes i am evil.**


	9. Chapter 9

He shouldn't be here. As simple as that. Sam should not be sitting here.

It was only a couple of days ago that he was searching frantically through his sister's house for his nieces yet here he was again, searching for Kiana.

She was two, how far could a two year old go? Nevertheless, she was missing. She was tucked into bed around 10pm by Casey and now not even 12 hours later, she is no where to be found.

Her shoes still under the bed, her coat still on the floor but her teddy bear was gone. She wasn't kidnapped, she wasn't hiding…she had walked out by herself.

The police had arrived, not the SRU this time, and started their search. This little girl was their number one priority at the moment. It was a dark night and the temperature dropped well below freezing. It could just about snow any minute now and Kiana had no shoes, no jacket and no coat. The dangers of a little girl being out alone were high enough but the weather did not help.

Jules clung onto Ariel in the corner of the lounge room that was now filled with police and child services.

There were some people in the world that just didn't deserve the plate of bad luck that had been delivered to them and Maya was one of them. But Jules could also see how this was getting to Sam. He was supposed to be the big brother, stick up for his little sister and he just saw any mistake in her life as his failure. He didn't know why he felt that he was responsible for everything she did; maybe it was the years of army and the constant "Watch-each-others-backs" attitude.

Still, blaming himself wouldn't find Kiana any quicker.

"She was last seen at approximately 12am to 1am. All hospitals have been put on alert and missing persons has been notified. We are still treating this as a missing child and not as a kidnapping" The senior sergeant spoke.

Maya was being consoled by a young social worker while Sam sat alone on the couch, staring into the distance while listening to every word being said.

_Traumatized child....runaway....alcoholic _mother_._

Before he had a chance to react to the last statement, the police officers seemed to be making a hasty retreat outside. A constable had come in and whispered something to the senior sergeant and before they knew it, the room was practically empty.

Sam looked over to Jules in total confusion. The senior sergeant walked back into the house slowly and gently removed his hat.

No, Sam knew what that meant and it wasn't good. It was a sign of respect, why would he be doing that now?

"Mrs Thornton, a little girl was found at a park on Jacaranda Street…do you know the one?"

She nodded with relief and smiled as she exhaled a large breath.

"Yes…yes I take her there at least once a week."

Senior Sergeant Hewitt placed his hand firmly on her shoulder and motioned for her to sit back down.

"Mrs Thornton…" He paused. The tremble in his voice becoming more apparent.

"Your daughter was outside in the freezing conditions with no source of warmth. She was already up to stage 3 hypothermia before she was found. I'm sorry; there was nothing they could do"

Silence. Utter silence.

When being told that a loved one has just died some say they feel like a knife has just stabbed them in the heart of a chainsaw has just ripped open their stomachs but Sam felt neither of these. In fact, he felt nothing. He couldn't feel his heart pumping or his mouth breathing. He was numb, and not just physically.

It felt like minutes, hours even before Maya even opened her lips.

"No…you're lying….NO!" She became violent and Sam didn't even bother to move as she threw herself towards Hewitt.

She threw strong punches into his chest before he quickly grabbed her wrists and held her tightly as she broke down in tears. Her legs grew weak as she found it impossible to stand.

"No…not my baby…please!" She sobbed, begged even but it was too late.

Jules was still standing in the corner trying desperately not to let her tears be seen. She looked over at Sam who was still sitting on the couch, his eyes still staring at the same spot and his lips still not moving. Never in her life had she seen him like that and she hoped that she would never have to see it again.

Sam couldn't hear the sobs escaping his sister's mouth nor could he see what was happening around him. He was lost a world of his own.

_I walked up stairs into Ariel's room. Why didn't I go into Kiana's room? I should've gone into her room. How could I be so selfish? If I checked on her earlier we might've found her earlier and she would still be alive._

_This…is…all…my…fault._


	10. Chapter 10

**Poem written by Lisa L. Easterling

* * *

**

Sam felt as though he had kept his head down for hours. He rubbed at the throbbing pain in the back of his neck before he lifted his head up. It was then that he remembered why his head was down in the first place. The coffin.

Sam had attended too many funerals in his life but never had the coffin resting on the stage been that small. In fact, coffins shouldn't even be made that small and no parent should be attending their own child's funeral.

He turned to look at Jules, who still had her hand wrapped tightly around his. He could feel the cold metalic ring against his fingers. Oddly enough it slightly warmed him up inside. They had no words for each other, words were hard to come by at funerals. He didn't need her to say anything or do anything, he just needed her to be there.

It was safe to say that Sam had seen his sister at her worst over the years, but nothing could compare to how she felt today. He had fixed the odd grazed knee here and there and held her hand after numerous visits to the dentist but nothing he could do was going to help the way she felt now.

The priest made his way towards the stage and politely motioned for everybody to take their seat.

Ariel was sound asleep in her carrier whilst Casey sat quietly next to her mother. One of the hardest parts of Kiana's death was trying to explain it to Casey. She turned around to look towards Sam and for a brief second, she was able to smile. She couldn't possibly imagine how that small act of kindness could warm his heart.

_I've lost my baby daughter,  
Though not misplaced.  
I feel she's somewhere  
__Bound by neither time nor space.__  
__Perhaps she sits before the Throne__  
__With radiant face.__  
__She could be dancing happily__  
__Like little girls do__  
__With golden taps beneath__  
__Each precious little shoe.__  
__I know she must love music,__  
__So I'm sure it's true.__  
__I'm grateful that in Heaven__  
__She is healthy and strong__  
__And that she's lulled to sleep each night__  
__By Heaven's song,__  
__But I wish I could hold her;__  
__Is that terribly wrong?__  
__I sang so often to her__  
__While she was with me__  
__And I will go on listening__  
__For her harmony.__  
__How sweet to know__  
__I'll hear it in eternity._

As much as he tried, there was no way to stop the tears from escaping Sam's eyes. He loved this child like it was his own and it made him sick to his stomach to know that something so innocent had been taken from this world too soon. It was moments like these that made him appreciate every single person in his life more.

At the end of the service, family members were asked to walk up to the coffin and place a rose on it. Honestly, Sam hated these cheesy little things they did at funerals to pass the time. He just wanted to say goodbye to his loved one and get out of there. But, out of a sheer sign of respect he walked up to the coffin, still holding Jules' hand and placed the white rose next to the small photo of Kiana. As he let go of the rose in his hand, he felt every part of his body fall weak and he felt as though his legs would give in at any moment. He took a moment to compose himself before he felt his left hand being squeezed. He found himself looking down into Casey's gorgeous blue eyes yet again. This time they weren't filled with fear or anger, no, they were filled with sadness and love. She slowly held up a small teddy bear, the same one that had been found next to Kiana's lifeless body. It was then that Sam realised she was too short to place the teddy on the coffin herself.

He gently picked Casey up and rested her on his hip. She leaned forward and placed the small bear on top of the roses. Casey then laid her head down on Sam's shoulder and cuddled him softly.

"Did she know how much I loved her Uncle Sam?" She whispered so delicately. Once again, showing signs of maturity well and truly beyond her age.

He turned slightly so he was looking her in the eyes.

"Your sister knew exactly how much you loved her, don't you ever forget that Casey" She nodded before Sam placed a light kiss on her forehead.

As Sam turned around it was then that he noticed his sister. He had tried as hard as he could to avoid looking at her and the guilt inside killed him. He couldn't look at her because deep down inside he blamed himself for her daughter's death.

Looking over the 7 stages of grief he knew he had passed the shock and denial stage, he was slowly moving on from the pain and guilt stage and now he was up to the blame stage.

He didn't have time right now to run over the situation in his head, instead he placed Casey back on the ground and joined the rest of his family at the wake.

It was here that he was finally able to introduce his parents to Jules, not quite the circumstances he wanted them to meet under but nevertheless it had to be done.

"I think they like you" Sam finally spoke. Jules was surprised to hear him speak after the day he had.

"And why wouldn't they?" She joked back, trying to lighten the mood as much as she could.

"You're right. Everybody will like you" He smiled before kissing her on the lips. He relished the moment because he knew that this feeling of utter happiness was going to be hard to find over the next few weeks.

*****

"Are you hungry?" Jules asked as she placed her keys down on the kitchen table.

"Not really, I think I'll just have a shower and go to bed" He kissed his fiancé once more trying desperately to show that the man she loved was still there. He was just going through a rough phase.

"After this is all over, you know we have a wedding to plan" He said smiling once again.

"Sam really, we don't have to rush. We can wait as long as you want..."

"I know baby...I know" He kissed her once more before heading upstairs to take a shower.

Jules found herself trying to keep busy, constantly cleaning and organising Sam's disastrous kitchen before she heard a knock at the door.

She opened the door slightly to see Maya standing there.

"Hey Maya is everything OK?" Jules asked

"I'm an unfit mother!" Maya spoke with a voice of pure anger and frustration.

"Child services took my kids off me because I'm an unfit mother!"


	11. Chapter 11

Jules held onto a clearly traumatized Maya and led her over the couch.

"I'll be right back"

She raced up to Sam's bedroom and shook him lightly.

"Sam...Wake up, put some clothes quickly and come down stairs" He could tell by the sound of panic in her voice that it wasn't good but he had gotten used to bad news over the past week. It was like he was constantly being kicked while he was down yet he clung onto the hope that his life couldn't get any worse than it was now and some good news had to eventually come.

It only took him a couple of minutes to get dressed and down stairs before he saw his distressed sister on the couch next Jules.

"Maya?"

He turned his head around the room searching for Ariel and Casey before he quickly realised they weren't there.

Jules saw that Maya couldn't speak and took the opportunity to fill Sam in.

"Child services took them..." She titled her head down and then turned to look at Maya who was now clearing her throat.

"They wanted to give me the decency of giving my daughter a funeral then take the other two off me." She let out a laugh before continuing,

"The decency? How could taking my kids off me be decent?"

Sam was still standing in the same spot.

"Why didn't I get them?" Sam finally spoke up "I mean I'm their closest relative aren't I?"

He was furious to say the least. How could child services believe that the best option for the kids was with complete strangers?

"They thought you would let me see them which I'm not allowed to until I have completed a safe parenting course and been evaluated by a psychologist" By now the tears had all dried up and all that Maya could do was laugh. It was sickening that something could be so funny at a time like this but it truly was. Her husband beat her up for no reason and even with him behind bars; she was still being punished for his actions.

"If I had stayed with James, maybe none of this would've happened. Kiana would still be alive and I would still have my kids"

Jules looked up at Sam with a mixture of shock and disgust.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard" He could've ended the sentence with smart-ass remarks and comebacks but he felt that this wasn't the time.

"I'll go down to child services in the morning and see what I can do..." Sam walked over and sat down next to his sister.

"Maya, please stay the night? I don't think you should be alone right now"

He just expected her to fight back saying something like she was fine, she didn't need any help but in all honesty, she was exhausted. She was sick of fighting because she knew that there was no hope.

She simply nodded as Jules made her way up to the linen closet to prepare the guest room.

This was the first time in a week that Sam had been alone with his sister, he had tried desperately to avoid her but here he was.

He took her hand and slowly wrapped it around his.

"Maya...I'm sor..." He began,

"Don't you say it, don't you dare say you're sorry!" She clung tighter onto his hand as the words escaped her mouth.

"You have _nothing _to be sorry about. I was the one that let James go too far, I was the one that drank until I was passed out, it's _my _fault that Kiana is dead...you have _nothing _to be sorry about. Nothing you can say is going to change the way I feel, I will go the rest of my life with Kiana's blood on my hands and I will not have you living a life of guilt" She spoke swiftly but calmly. She never shed a tear but Sam could see her rough exterior being broken piece by piece and eventually she was going to shatter.

Sam looked down at his feet before looking back up at his sister. He pondered for a moment what to say.

"You are _not _an unfit mother and I hope to God you don't let these ass holes win. You're going to get your kids back no matter how long it takes...I promise"

Finally, Maya smiled. It was like music to Sam's ears watching her face light up. He just wanted to capture the moment and make it last forever.

* * *

"I'm sorry Mr Braddock but there is nothing we can do. They will be placed with a foster family in a safe environment for at least 3 weeks. If Mrs Thornton can complete the safe parenting course and keep to her psychologist appointments then they should be back with her in no time. If she however does not meet child services standards then you may wish to go to court to gain temporary or full custody of the children."

The words were like a knife through Sam's heart. 3 weeks...3 whole weeks without a word from his nieces. He couldn't see them, speak to them or even know how they were.

He figured that it would take a couple of weeks to go through the court process and get custody of the kids but it would only take a couple of seconds to put a bullet through the social worker's head...he decided against the second option, too messy.

Instead he simply thanked the social worker and left abruptly.

* * *

In the week leading up to the funeral, neither Sam nor Jules had been to work following strict orders from Greg. He knew what it was like for a child to be taken away from a loved one, not that his son was killed but he knew the feeling of absolute emptiness inside of them. Whilst Jules was very taken aback by Kiana's death, she felt that it was time for things to start going back to normal and that meant going to work. She knew that Sam wouldn't want to go but to be honest; she didn't want him to either. He was still fuelled with anger and putting a gun in his hand would just be a bad idea. Yes, going back to work had its ups; she got to be back with her friends and team but for how long? The rules were clear: No romantic relationships between team members. So first thing first, she needed to speak to commander Holleran. Why him? Well, Sam never spoke about it but Jules knew that he had a connection of some sort to the Commander. There were hundreds of other applicants with double the credentials of Sam's yet the Commander chose Sam. Not that Jules was complaining, she found the love of her life but still, she felt that Greg would have to follow protocol whilst Commander Holleran may be able to bend the rules a little. It was worth a shot anyway.

* * *

**Sorry to just sort of end it there but my writers block is getting to be too much! Maybe after some nice dinner i might be able to think more clearly : )**


	12. Chapter 12

"If worse comes to worse, I'll just transfer to Team Two. I don't care, if it means I get to stay with you then I'll do it"

"Sam, if anybody's changing teams it will be me, just let me talk to the commander and see what we can do. Besides, I think he likes you"

Sam let out a forced chuckle before watching his fiancée make her way up to bed.

He waited until he heard the distinct sound of the bedroom door shutting before stepping outside to make an important phone call.

"Braddock" The stern voice spoke loudly on the other end.

"Hey dad, it's me" Sam spoke with a small quiver of fear within his voice.

"Samuel, is everything OK?"

"Something has to be wrong for me to call you?" He often tried his best to lighten the mood with these phone calls but his father was right, he only ever called if there was a problem or if he needed something and this was no exception.

"No, I guess not. How is everything? Taking care of your sister I hope?"

"Yeah dad, things are fine, she's fine, we're all doing good..." Lie after lie after lie.

"Then what it is Samuel, I'm very busy?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could do me a favour?"

Sam's dad let out a loud sigh of annoyance before Sam continued.

"Jules is going back to work tomorrow and she's going to speak to the Commander and try to get us to stay on the same team. He'll say no and I know it. You we're the one that spoke to him and helped me get the job, maybe you could speak to him again and try to get Jules and I to stay on the same team..."

There was a long pause before either one of them spoke again.

"I guess it's about time I gave Holleran a call. It's been a while. But Samuel, black mail isn't one of my favourite things to do, this better be worth it"

"It will be, trust me" Sam spoke reassuringly.

* * *

Jules twiddled her thumbs nervously as she sat outside Commander Holleran's office. Truth be told, she hadn't been here very often and that was probably a good thing. She looked down at her uniform and brushed her fingers over the stitching that read: Constable J. Callaghan. She couldn't help but smile at the mere thought of her uniform reading Constable J. Braddock.

She hesitantly made her way into the small office and looked down at the man sitting in front of her. He smiled for a brief moment before standing up and shaking Jules' hand.

"Juliana, it's been a while. What can I do for you?"

Honestly she hadn't even thought about what she was going to say, she always worked best under pressure but this was tough.

"Umm, well..."

"Is this about you and Mr Braddock staying on the same team?" He asked uncomfortably.

She nodded.

"Oh, well that's been taken care of." He added before sitting back down and ruffling through some paper work.

"Taken care of? How?"

"You and Sam can stay on the same team throughout your relationship under the conditions that if anything changes within the relationship, fights, arguments, whatever, you must alert Greg. Understood?"

Jules paused. Was he serious? Was this some sick joke? She looked around for some sort of sign that this was a dream.

"But what about the rules? What about...."

"Juliana, I'm giving you what you want, why are you questioning it?" His voice was starting to get irritated.

She stared blankly at him once again.

"Greg has been informed" He stopped flicking through his paper work and looked back up at a clearly stunned Jules "I wish you two all the best"

He smiled and nodded.

Before she knew it, Jules was putting one foot in front of the other and walking out of his office.

_What the hell just happened? Did I even say thank you? Shit. Should I go back and say thank you? Nope, I'm still walking, oh well.

* * *

_

Her first day back at work was uneventful to say the least. She'd almost forgotten how boring these days could be. She tried her best to avoid the conversations about Kiana; she was still trying to move on from that. They were happy to hear that Sam and Jules would remain on Team One yet nobody seemed to be as shocked as Jules was.

The rules were clear and up until now, had always been followed and enforced. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at what the Commander had said.

* * *

She opened the door to Sam's house to find him cooking in the kitchen.

_A husband that cooks. I hit the jackpot!_

"Could you get any sexier?"

"Well I guess I could take my shirt off?"

"I'd rather you didn't" Maya sat up on the couch making her presence known.

The three laughed as Jules rose on her tippy toes to kiss Sam.

"Guess what?" Jules sounded like an excited child "The commander said we can stay on the same team!"

He looked down into Jules eyes, she was happy. Why should he be the one to take that away from her?

"That's fantastic, I knew you could do it" He smiled again "Now let's eat"

* * *

**Uh-oh, what could Sam's dad possibly know that could lead him to black mail the commander?**

**Will Sam tell Jules of the arrangement?**

**Or will he let the lie slowly creep up inside him?**

**Stay tuned : )  
**


End file.
